Ford is releasing a brand new software only solution for sanitizing the interior of a vehicle. Better yet, if we understand this data correctly, you can manually and easily complete this routine on your Chevy Silverado (or any vehicle) for a 99% reduction in viral concentration inside your vehicle. But how? Let’s find out.
During a time when everyone is looking for a way to clean and sterilize everything we touch, Police Departments have been looking for a way to clean police vehicles. The problem is physically cleaning a vehicle after every shift with chemicals or UV light is time consuming and leaves a lot of room for error. However, Ford is ingeniously using a software upgrade to bring a virus reducing feature to Police Interceptor Utility Vehicles across the country.
Ford is using heat. Specifically the heat from the engine, blown through the HVAC system. Using software only, Ford has enabled police departments to run a “cleaning routine” on their vehicles with the push of a button.
When enabled, the vehicle will heat the interior up to 133 degrees for 15 minutes before cooling it back down. That time and temperature proves to reduce viral concentrations inside a vehicle by 99% according to Ohio State University.
When running, a Police Interceptor’s hazard and tail lights flash in a pattern that will indicate the progress of the cycle. The instrument cluster also shows the heat cycles progress.
Since this is a simple max heat cycle for a set period of time, can we “manually” run a heat-driven virus reducing cycle on our Chevy Silverado or GMC Sierra? Why not? GM-Trucks.com will be testing this out in the future.
While Ford stresses the heat cycle won’t remove the need for a good wipe down or cleaning products, it’s an additional layer of protection for officers and their communities alike.
“Law enforcement officers are being dispatched as emergency responders in some cases where ambulances may not be available,” said Stephen Tyler, Ford Police brand marketing manager. “During one trip, officers may be transporting a coronavirus patient to a hospital, while another trip may involve an occupant who may be asymptomatic.”
“Officers can now use this self-cleaning mode as an extra layer of protection inside the vehicle in areas where manual cleaning is prone to be overlooked,” said Tyler. “This virus is an invisible enemy and we are proud to provide a solution to help the law enforcement community fight it.”
The feature can be programed into a vehicle by Police Department service centers or local dealers on Ford Police vehicles from 2013 to present.
